Device for supporting tissues of the face



March 8, 1966 E. E. JURGOVAN DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING TISSUES OF THE FACE Filed Dec. 21, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. EDNA E. JURGOVAN ATTORNEY March 8, 1966 E. E. JURGOVAN DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING TISSUES OF THE FACE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 21, 1962 INVENTOR. EDNA E. JURGOVAN ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,238,938 DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING TISSUES OF THE FACE Edna E. Jurgovan, 1017 S. 34th St., South Bend, Ind. Filed Dec. 21, 1962, Ser. No. 246,587 4 Claims. (Cl. 128-76) This invention relates to a method and means for supporting tissues of the face.

One of the first changes occurring in the facial appearances of people entailing a departure from a youthful appearance occurs as a result of sagging of tissues of the face. Such sagging is quite commonplace and usually occurs at the jaw line or adjacent opposite ends of the mouth. Since such sagging of tissues of the face is one of the first signs of ending of the period of youthfulness of a person, it is frequently desired by women to conceal this condition or to avoid it. Heretofore no effective means of concealment have been available. Avoidance usually can be accomplished by surgery, but this is impractical for most women because of the expense and the time required for such surgery.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a novel, simple and inexpensive method which can be practiced easily by a woman upon her face to provide and maintain support for the tissues of the face in a manner to conceal the existence of facial areas at which the tissue normally sags.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for supporting the tissues of the human face in such a manner as to conceal a sagging condition of said tissues by means concealed by ornamental or decorative members whose appearance as worn conceals or camouflages their function and is acceptable under standards of style and decor for wear by women.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which includes parts adapted to be detachably mounted upon the face of a person adjacent to the ears and which draw the skin of the face at an area near the ears into folded condition as a means to draw taut the skin at the jaw line and adjacent the mouth, and which also includes decorative means similar to earrings to conceal said first named parts and the folds of the skin retained thereby.

A further object is to provide means for holding tissues of the human face in a manner to conceal sagging portions thereof, which means are characterized by ready attachment and removal, ready concealment or camoufiaging, avoidance of discomfort and injury, and retention of facial mobility.

A further object is to provide means for drawing tissues of the human face in a manner to smooth the same and conceal sagging thereof, which means are inexpensive and easily concealed, and which can be applied by an individual without assistance.

A further object is to provide an earring which can be worn without requiring the use of clamps or other mechanical anchor means and without irritation of the skin or discomfort.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specification.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partial view of a face of a person illustrating types of sagging tissues of the face with which the present invention deals;

FIG. 2 is a partial profile view of a person which illustrates the manner at which my invention may be used to avoid the sagging tissue condition illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail view illustrating means for holding folds of tissues of the face at selected position as a means to draw other portions of the skin of 3,238,938 Patented Mar. 8, 1966 the face which tend to sag into more taut or firm condition to conceal sagging thereat;

FIG. 4 is a partial profile view illustrating one type of decorative means and the location thereof for concealing the intentionally produced skin folds illustrated in FIG. 3 and the means for holding and maintaining said folds;

FIG. 5 is a view of one embodiment of the decorative concealing member, showing the inner or concealed face thereof;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an inner face view of an ornamental skin fold concealing member, constituting a modified embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a face view of a modified form of skin fold positioning member with which an ornamental member of the type shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is used;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 1010 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a rear or inner face view of a decorative skin fold concealing member embodying still another form which the invention may take; and

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken on line 12-42 of FIG. 11, and illustrating the manner of application of the concealing member to the face of a wearer.

Referring to the drawings FIG. 1 illustrates at 10 one manner in which the skin or tissues of the face of a person tends to sag adjacent the ends of the mouth, and illustrates at 11 sagging skin along the jaw which causes an undesirable jaw line. It will be understood that the sagging condition referred to is the result of looseness of the skin. These sagging skin conditions are to be distinguished from a wrinkled condition in which a clearly delineated crease, fold or line occurs in the skin of the face.

My invention includes the method of first manipulating the face by applying tension near the ears to draw the sagging areas of the skin taut and form folds in the skin near the ears. This may first be done by simultaneously tensioning the skin at both sides of the face and observing the manner, direction and extent of tensioning required to eliminate the sagging condition. Then tension may be released at one side of the face and retained at the other side. Then means are adhered to the folds of skin produced at the side of the face at which tension is retained in such a manner as to hold the skin folds against release. The skin at the other side of the face is then tensioned sufiiciently to draw taut the sagging skin at that side and produce the desired overall facial appearance. Then means are adhered to the folds of the skin at the last named side of the face to hold them against release. The means adhered to the skin are remote from the sagging condition and adjacent to the ears and hold the skin in a taut or firm condition at the shadow area or areas in which the sag of the facial tissues occurs normally, so that the sagging condition is no longer apparent or noticeable. Then ornamental means are secured to the skin anchoring adhered means to cover and conceal such adhered means and also any folds of the skin at the adhered means resulting from the tensioning of the skin.

In the practice of the method I utilize a small piece of flexible sheet or film material 12 coated with pressure sensitive cement at one face thereof as the means adhered to the face. The sheet material utilized may be a fabric or a flexible synthetic resin film. The pressure sensitive cement adhered to the film should be of a type which adheres firmly to skin and which does not produce irrita- .0 tion or injury to the skin. One material well suited for this purpose is conventional adhesive tape of the type employed to adhere bandages to skin. Such tape, if opaque, is preferably of substantially flesh color to minimize attention thereto if a portion thereof is exposed to view. Another material which is well suited for this use has a clear transparent plastic film base and a clear or colorless transparent pressure sensitive cement. The adhering member 12 should preferably be of small size. Thus I prefer to use a sheet or film whose length does not greatly exceed three-quarters of an inch and Whose width is preferably less than its length. The size of the sheet will be determined by the extent of the skin folds 14 which must be retained thereby.

FIGURES 4, and 6 illustrate a decorative member adapted to be applied over the adhered sheet 12 and the skin folds 14 retained by the sheet. This decorative or ornamental member 16 may be formed of sheet metal, plastic or other suitable material. In the form shown, the member 16 has a contoured thin portion 18 of decorative shape and configuration and preferably has an inner or rear thin member 20 marginally secured to the outer member 18. The members 16 and 18 will preferably be formed of shape-retaining or rigid material, such as sheet metal or plastic. Where two parts 18 and 20 are used, they may be secured together by any suitable means, such as bonding, soldering or adhesion thereof. The member 16 may have any desired decorative or ornamental shape or configuration, and may be of a size larger than the skin-adhering sheet 12. Preferably, the size of the member 16 will be such as to permit it to cover and conceal the sheet 12 and the skin folds 14 and to extend adjacent to or to overlap a part of the ear for visual association therewith, so as to give the appearance of an earring.

In the construction illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, a portion of the rear surface of the member 16 has a coating 22 of a pressure sensitive adhesive applied thereto. This coating 22 will preferably be of an area large enough to contact and adhere to all or a part of the sheet 12, and it also adheres to some of the skin at and adjacent the skin folds 14. The adhesive employed may be of any suitable type capable of adhesion to skin, cloth and plastic, and not subject to irritation of the skin or injury thereto when in contact with the skin or adhering thereto for long periods of time. The area of the adhesive coating 22 constitutes a substantial part of the area of the rear surface of the ornament and is large enough to insure firm but removable anchorage to the member 12 and optionally to the skin around member 12, so that the wearer will be assured of continuous anchorage of the ornament during all normal movement of the head as the wearer engages in normal activities.

The ornament 16 serves to conceal the adhered sheet 12 and the skin folds 14, and for this purpose will preferably be large enough for substantial marginal projection thereof past the edges of the sheet 12 to render vision of the sheet 12, when the face is viewed in a direction edgewise of the ornament, 0f negligible consequence. It is appreciated that a gap may occur between the ornament and the skin at the margin of the ornament at some points, and in such cases the size of the ornament should be such as to insure concealment of the sheet 12.

The use of a pressure-sensitive releasable adhesive to anchor the sheet 12 to the skin and to anchor the ornament 16 to the sheet 12 and to the skin provide convenient means for ready and quick application of the sheet 12 and the ornament by a person to her own face. Thus, by observing the operation in a mirror, the user can determine the extent of tautness of the skin and folding thereof at 14 which is necessary to correct the sagging tissue appearance, as at 10 or 11, and then can apply the sheet 12 to the skin over the folds in a manner to maintain the corrective skin condition desired. One arrangement found desirable is to anchor one end of a sheet 12 to the skin near the ear lobe 15, then manipulate the skin by urging it toward the ear lobe, and then adhering the other end of sheet 12 to the ear lobe to maintain the desired skin tautness. Thereupon, the ornament can be applied to the face by the wearer in the position deemed most attractive and concealing by the simple operation of pressing the ornament against the sheet 12.

It will be understood, of course, that the adhesion of the ornament to the sheet 12 may be secured by the provision of a coating of adhesive upon the exposed surface of the sheet 12, in place of by an adhesive coating upon the back of the ornament. Thus, if the sheet 12 is coated upon both surfaces, the ornament can be pressed thereagainst and anchored by the exposed adhesive coating on the sheet 12. Suitable protective means (not shown), such as sheets of waxed paper, may be utilized to cover exposed surfaces of adhesive material upon both the sheet 12 and the ornament 16 during storage for the purpose of preventing accumulation of dirt on the adhesive surface, protecting the adhesive properties of the coating, and pro tecting against undesired adhesion of the parts to adjacent or contacting articles during storage. By this means it is possible for a woman to carry the sheets 12 and ornaments 16 in a purse or handbag for ready application when wanted. However, the device will usually be applied to the face during the usual face make-up, and the device may be worn for many hours, as from early morning until retiring in the evening.

A modified embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10. In this embodiment an adhesivecoated sheet 112 has secured thereto a magnetically attracted material, such as a thin flexible metal part, as a metal of 25 or 29 gauge. I have chosen for purposes of illustration, the use of two or more wires or other small thin members 130 of metal or other magnetically attracted material arranged in spaced relation on sheet 112. The metal part or parts may be adhered to the adhesivecoated face of the sheet 112, as seen in FIG. 10. The sheet 112 is applied to the face of the user in the same manner in which the sheet 12 is applied as described above, and, in cases where spaced members 130 are provided, the sheet 112 will preferably be applied to position the members 130 substantially parallel to the skin folds 14. Thus it may be possible to position the members 130 between or ajacent to the folds 14 of the skin in a compact manner without detracting from the function of the member 112 to hold or support the skin with the folds therein.

The ornament 116 utilized with the adhesive sheet 112 may be of any suitable shape, size and configuration and may be formed of metal, plastic or any other suitable material. In the form shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the body 118 of the ornament is molded and is of substantially uniform thickness throughout. Adjacent its center the ornament body has molded therein a rim to form a socket 120 for receiving and anchoring a small shallow piece of a permanent magnet, such as Alnico or the like. The magnet 122 may be cemented or mechanically anchored in place in the socket 120. The magnet is preferably flat and is of a size sufiicient to span the member or members 130, as shown in FIG. 10, and has sufficient magnetism to anchor on the member or members and thereby hold the ornament 116 in operative position to hide the sheet 112 and the skin folds anchored by said sheet.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 and is adapted to be used in conjunction with a sheet 12 applied to the skin to maintain theskin folds 14 adjacent the ear. This ornament is prefer-- ably constructed as illustrated in FIG. 12 with an outer decorative and contoured shape-retaining part 216 and an inner shape-retaining backing member 218 marginally secured or anchored to the part 216. The parts 216 and 218 are formed of metal or plastic material and will be characterized by light weight. One portion 220 of the backing member 218 is provided with a coating 222 of pressure-sensitive cement which is adapted to adhere to.

the sheet 12 and to the skin adjacent to folds 14, as seen in FIG. 12. At a point spaced from the adhesive coating 222, brackets 224 are preferably secured to the backing 218 and constitute a part of a spring-pressed clip including a clip plate 226 and a resilient part 228. The clip 226 is intended to cooperate with the adjacent part of the ornament to grip an ear lobe 15 of the wearer. Thus, by this construction, a combination of mechanical anchorage and adhesion functions to position the ornament. It will be apparent that magnetic instead of adhesive anchorage may be utilized in conjunction with the mechanical ear clip 226 by utilizing a sheet 112 and providing the ornament with a permanent magnet 122, as above described.

In all embodiments of the invention, the elements of convenience, light weight, ease of application, adaptability to persons of different facial contours and configuration, compactness for storage and low cost are provided. Also, in all embodiments of the invention secure anchorage and ready removability are possible. Thus the device provides means for effectively concealing sagging, bulging or undesired facial conditions occurring in the skin by means of a member applied spaced from the condition to be corrected and located adjacent to the ear so as to the concealed by an ornamental member having substantially the same appearance or ornamental significance as an earring. It will be understood, however, that the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 to may be used for the sole purpose of mounting earrings. Thus some Women have great discomfort when wearing earrings, and this arrangement could be used to mount earrings without tensioning the skin if the user did not have a sagging skin condition or problem.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood that changes in the construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. Means for supporting tissues of the face, comprising a sheet of flexible sheet material having a coating of pressure sensitive cement adapted to adhere detachably to the skin of a person and to maintain skin in a selected folded condition at a small area adjacent an ear of a person,

an ornament formed of light weight shape-retaining material and of larger size than said sheet and said folded skin area,

means for detachably securing said ornament to said sheet to overlie said sheet and folded skin area and 5 pressure-sensitive cement adapted to adhere detachably to the skin of a person and to maintain skin in a selected folded condition at a small area adjacent an ear of said person,

an ornament formed of light weight, shape-retaining material and of larger size than said sheet and said folded skin area, means for detachably securing said ornament to said sheet to overlie said sheet and folded skin area and a part of the lobe of the ear of the person,

whereby said ornament is supported by said sheet and simulates an earring, and a spring clip carried by said ornament spaced from said securing means and adapted to grip said ear lobe.

3. Means for supporting tissues of the face, comprising a sheet of flexible sheet material having a coating of pressure sensitive cement adapted to adhere detachably to the skin of a person and to maintain skin in a selected folded condition at a small are-a adjacent to the lobe of an ear of said person,

an ornament formed of light weight, shape-retaining material and of larger size than said sheet and said folded skin area, and

spaced means carried by the rear of said ornament for detachably securing said ornament to said ear lobe and to said sheet for support thereby in position overlying said sheet and folded skin area.

4. The method of altering the appearance of the skin of the face of a person to conceal the existence of areas at the jaw at which the skin normally tends to sag, consisting of the steps of form-ing folds in the skin adjacent to the ears to tension and smooth the skin at the areas which normally tend to sag,

applying to each folded area a flexible sheet coated with pressure sensitive adhesive to adhere to and retain said folds, and

applying an earring over each sheet and anchoring the same to said sheet and to the lobe of the adjacent ear.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,195,117 8/1916 Spellerberg 128-76 2,076,282 4/1937 Stelfox 12876 2,399,335 4/1946 Dun-and 128--76 3,119,389 1/1964 Ritzcovan 12876 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,026 6/1930 Australia. 526,112 6/ 1931 Germany. 901,986 7/ 1962 Great Britain.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT E. MORGAN, Examiner. 

3. MEANS FOR SUPPORTING TISSUES OF THE FACE, COMPRISING A SHEET OF FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL HAVING A COATING OF PRESSURE SENSITIVE CEMENT ADAPTED TO ADHERE DETACHABLY TO THE SKIN OF A PERSON AND TO MAINTAIN SKIN IN A SELECTED FOLDED CONDUIT AT A SMALL AREA ADJACENT TO THE LOBE OF AN EAR OF SAID PERSON, AN ORNAMENT FORMED OF LIGHT WEIGHT, SHAPE-RETAINING MATERIAL AND OF LARGER SIZE THAN SAID SHEET AND SAID FOLDED SKIN AREA, AND SPACED MEANS CARRIED BY THE REAR OF SAID ORNAMENT FOR DETACHABLY SECURING SAID ORNAMENTR TO SAID REAR LOBE AND TO SAID SHEET FOR SUPPORTING THEREBY IN POSITION OVERLYING SAID SHEET AND FOLDED SKIN AREA. 